game day 2009-11-12

T H E D A I LY TA R G U M

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

GAMEDAY

PA G E G 1

FIGHT NIGHT

ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

G2

G A M E DAY

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

KnightsGameday RUTGERS VS SOUTH FLORIDA

GAME 9: Rutgers Stadium, 7:30 p.m. TV: ESPN RADIO: 1450 AM FAVORITE: South Florida by 1

Losing Grothe does not slow Bulls

BY SAM HELLMAN ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

When former Yankee first baseman Wally Pipp went down with an injury, he never got the chance to return because his replacement was the legendary Lou Gehrig.

Though South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe will not return to the team after his torn ACL, his replacement, like Gehrig, may be better, said Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano.

“I forget where I was but somebody said something about Grothe graduating and when he graduates, they’ve got one even better and I sat there and thought, ‘I hope not.’

This guy’s really good, very talented,” he said.

The man in question, redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels, makes his first start against the Scarlet Knights and sixth start of the season tonight at Rutgers Stadium as the 23rd ranked Bulls make their Thursday night return to the Banks.

“It’s a great opportunity to play,” Schiano said. “We’re playing a good team and it’s on national television. These guys are ranked nationally so it’s a great opportunity. We’re excited about playing.”

Because of Daniels’ similar playing style to Grothe as a dangerously quick quarterback, USF head coach Jim Leavitt hasn’t had to change the offense in the least.

“Daniels and Matt Grothe are both great quarterbacks, but they do the same kind of things,” said junior safety Joe Lefeged. “They’re mobile, so our job is not just to get the quarterback, it’s to get him on the ground.”

Throughout the week, senior linebacker Ryan D’Imperio compared the speedster to former West Virginia star Pat White and Schiano compared him to Michael Vick — one of the greatest scrambling quarterbacks of all time. “[He has] incredible change in direction and he’s ver y fast,” Schiano said. “He reminds me of Michael Vick when we played him at Miami. He can stop and start on a dime and once he goes he goes.”

Daniels leads South Florida in rushing with his 519 yards and four touchdowns, but he can still do damage with his arm. His 1,096 passing yards trail freshman quarterback Tom Savage by just 245 yards and his 10 touchdown passes are two more than Savage.

[

INSIDE the NUMBERS

]

SCARLET KNIGHTS (6-2)

SOUTH FLORIDA (6-2)

PASSING CMP YDS TD INT. AVG. 1 191.6 T. Savage 56.0% 1341 8

CMP YDS TD INT. AVG. PASSING B.J. Daniels 52.5% 1,096 10 6 137.0

RUSHING NO. YDS TD LNG AVG. J. Martinek 121 601 7 61 5.0 58 277 4 57 J. Brooks 4.8

RUSHING B.J. Daniels M. Plancher

NO. YDS TD LNG AVG. 5.6 93 519 4 44 4.8 81 385 4 28

RECEIVING NO. YDS TD LNG AVG. 37 811 5 81 21.9 T. Brown 32 291 0 21 M. Sanu 9.1 78 1 28 8 S. Graves 9.8 48 0 26 7 K. Young 6.9

RECEIVING C. Mitchell D. Bogan A.J. Griffin S. Griffin

NO. 29 16 14 9

TKL SCK 0 47 1 44 32 4.5

DEFENSE

D. McCourty R. D’Imperio G. Johnson

INT 1 1 0

YDS 542 246 220 190

DEFENSE

K. Wilson N. Allen G. Selvie

LNG 85 50 45 73

AVG. 18.7 15.4 15.7 21.1

TKL SCK 61 1 53 0 28 3

INT 1 3 0

TD 4 3 1 2

INJURIES Probable — Caleb Ruch (leg), Desmond Wynn (shoulder) Out — Desmond Stapleton (leg)

INJURIES Questionable — LB K. Wilson (thigh) Doubtful — WR C. Mitchell (knee), CB T. Butler (leg)

SCHEDULE Sept. 7 Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 10 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 31 Nov. 12 Nov. 21 Nov. 27 Dec. 5

SCHEDULE Sept. 5 Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 3 Oct. 15 Oct. 24 Oct. 30 Nov. 12 Nov. 21 Nov. 28 Dec. 5

L, 47-15 Cincinnati W, 45-7 Howard W, 23-15 FIU W, 34-13 Maryland Texas Southern W, 42-0 L, 24-17 Pittsburgh W, 27-10 Army W, 28-24 Connecticut South Florida 7:30 p.m.

TBA Syracuse TBA Louisville West Virginia TBA

W, 40-7 W, 35-13 Charleston So. W, 59-0 Florida State W, 17-7 W, 34-20 Syracuse L, 34-17 Cincinnati L, 41-14 Pittsburgh West Virginia W, 30-19 7:30 p.m.

Rutgers Noon Louisville TBA Miami TBA Connecticut Wofford

W. Kentucky

Key Matchup Rutgers LT Anthony Davis vs. USF RE George Selvie GETTY IMAGES

South Florida’s All-American defensive end has more than 30 career sacks, but none in three matchups against Rutgers. Last season against Anthony Davis, Selvie made just two tackles. In his career against the Knights, Selvie has seven tackles, none for a loss.

Redshirt freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels is South Florida’s leading rusher after taking over for injured senior Matt Grothe.

“He’s a phenomenal quarterback,” D’Imperio said. “He reminds me of Grothe. It’s tough going against a quarterback like that. You always have that extra dimension where you can have perfect coverage and then the quarterback runs for 15 yards.”

When facing off against an RU defense that leads the nation with a +18 turnover differential to go along with five non-offensive touchdowns, Daniels may be without a key weapon in receiver Carlton Mitchell.

Mitchell, who leads the team with 542 yards and four touch-

downs, is doubtful with an injury, and receiver Jessie Hester is not 100 percent, Schiano said. “[Mitchell] is their leading receiver, so his numbers speak for themselves,” he said. “He is a very good player. You just get the sense he is a real ‘together-guy’ just from what I have gathered.

“If you look at their team, they have a lot of really fine athletes.

No one is talking that much about [Hester] because he has been hurt but Jessie Hester was their leading guy last year. There are a lot of skill players there that can get the job done.”

STARTING LINEUP: OFFENSE

TIM BROWN Wide Receiver

ANTHONY DAVIS Tackle

ART FORST Guard

RYAN BLASZCZYK Center

HOWARD BARBIERI Guard

KEVIN HASLAM Tackle

D.C. JEFFERSON Tight End

MOHAMED SANU Wide Receiver

TOM SAVAGE Quarterback

JACK CORCORAN Fullback

JOE MARTINEK Running Back

Senior 5’-8”, 210 lbs

Junior 6’-6”, 325 lbs

Sophomore 6’-8”, 310 lbs

Senior 6’-4”, 295 lbs

Junior 6’-5”, 300 lbs

Senior 6’-7”, 295 lbs

R-Freshman 6’-6”, 245 lbs

Freshman 6’-2”, 215 lbs

Freshman 6’-5”, 230 lbs

Senior 6’-1”, 230 lbs

Sophomore 6’-0”, 215 lbs

STARTING LINEUP: DEFENSE

GEORGE JOHNSON Right end

CHARLIE NOONAN Tackle

SCOTT VALLONE Tackle

ALEX SILVESTRO Left end

DAMASO MUNOZ Linebacker

RYAN D’IMPERIO Linebacker

ANTONIO LOWERY Linebacker

DAVID ROWE Cornerback

JOE LEFEGED Strong Safety

ZAIRE KITCHEN Free Safety

DEVIN McCOURTY Cornerback

Senior 6’-4”, 260 lbs

Junior 6’-2”, 270 lbs

R-Freshman 6’-3”, 270 lbs

Junior 6’-4”, 260 lbs

Senior 6’-0”, 220 lbs

Senior 6’-3”, 245 lbs

Junior 6’-2”, 225 lbs

Sophomore 6’-0”, 195 lbs

Junior 6’-1”, 205 lbs

Senior 6’-2”,215 lbs

Senior 5’-11”, 190 lbs

G AMEDAY

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

G3

KNIGHT NUGGETS

BY THE NUMBERS True freshman quarterback Tom Savage only threw one interception in his first seven games, but faces the top-ranked pass defense in the Big East. The Bulls have 10 interceptions on the year.

South Florida defensive end George Selvie recored 28.5 sacks throughout his career, but none came against the Scarlet Knights. Junior left tackle Anthony Davis is tasked with blocking the senior.

A win tonight for Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano puts his career record on the Banks to 53-53, making him .500 for the first time since he was 1-1 to start his career.

Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels leads the team with 64.9 rushing yards per game since stepping in for injured Matt Grothe. The redshirt freshman ran for four scores.

1

.500

0

64.9

BIG QUESTION

Can the Rutgers defense contain South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels?

Rutgers always handled injured Bulls quarterback Matt Grothe, but Daniels is an even quicker threat coming out of the backfield and leads USF in rushing yards.

BULLS QB B.J. DANIELS

THE ADVANTAGE GOES TO ...

OFFENSE

Everything goes through B.J. Daniels in an offense that has speed to burn. RU has too many questions.

DEFENSE ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

In the last matchup between George Selvie, left, and Anthony Davis, right, Davis held the defensive end to just two tackles. Selvie has more than 200 tackles in his career, but just nine against Rutgers.

RU’s +18 turnover margin offsets the overrated DE combo of Selvie and Paul-Pierre who have a total of five sacks this season.

COACHING

Greg Schiano consistently gets the better of Jim Leavitt, even using a bit of trickery to pull off victories.

HISTORY

MOMENTUM

ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

X-FACTOR

If B.J. Daniels is not an X-factor, nothing is. The Knights must contain the speedy quarterback.

RUTGERS WINS IF...

THE

USF WINS IF ...

B.J. DANIELS

OFFENSIVE

LINE GIVES

SAVAGE

TOM

ENOUGH

RUNS WILD OVER

KNIGHTS’ DEFENSE.

THE

TIME TO THROW. Opposing defenses consistently put Savage on the ground and few present a tougher challenge than USF end George Selvie.

The Bulls’ redshirt freshman quarterback ran for 104 yards on 14 carries in their upset over West Virginia.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Our crowd makes it magic. I think there’s something really special about Thursday night games, and they make it a point to make them special here.”

All eyes on trench war between RU’s Davis, USF’s Selvie

BY SAM HELLMAN

Rutgers has won the past three games in the series. Remember the last Thursday night game?

Tim Brown is still running after his 81-yard, last-minute score in the Knights’ biggest win of the season.

CLASH OF THE TITANS

ANDREW DEPAOLA SENIOR LS

FINAL VERDICT

RUTGERS, 26-23 The Savage/Brown combo stays strong in Big East play as RU maintains constant vigilance.

In his career, South Florida standout defensive end George Selvie has 214 tackles, 67 tackles for loss and 28.5 sacks.

In three games against the Rutgers football team, however, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound man-beast destined for the first round of the NFL Draft has nine tackles.

That’s it.

No tackles for loss and no sacks.

“Yeah. I’m going to tr y to keep it like that,” said junior left tackle Anthony Davis on Selvie’s sackless career against the Scarlet Knights.

Davis — surrounded by hype of his own as a First Team All-Big East offensive lineman and potential high draft pick if he were to leave early — shut down Selvie in Tampa last season on the way to a 49-16 blowout for RU. Davis, however, said that tonight’s matchup will be completely dif ferent.

“We’ve both gotten a lot better from last year. We’re like two different people,” Davis said.

“George can run. Looking at him on film, he can get from sideline to sideline. He’s a great player, a great pass rusher. I’m looking forward to going against him.”

Part of the reason for Davis’ success against Selvie last season came because the defensive end was injured before the game even started.

“Selvie had a bad ankle all last year,” said Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. “I don’t think the nation saw the player they saw the previous year because he is a tough guy that was playing injured. It doesn’t seem to be hurt anymore. Those two defensive ends are ver y hard to contend with.”

After a sophomore season wor thy of high acclaim in his first year at left tackle, Davis

has had his struggles this season. He star ted the year on the second-team depth char t at left tackle and he received a partial-game suspension against Army after arriving late to a team function.

When senior captain and center Ryan Blaszczyk looks at the Piscataway native, however, he sees a significantly matured offensive lineman.

“AD has been working his way up the entire season,” he said. “At the beginning of the season, you hope to be at your best by the end and we’re all working at that. AD is right there with us. AD is just approaching this week like he approaches every week. He’s really starting

“We’ve both gotten a lot better from last year. We’re like two different people.”

ANTHONY DAVIS Junior Left Tackle

to mature and he’s really starting to come into his own.”

Though Davis’ struggles may have dropped his draft stock, he and Selvie can expect scouts to come out in full force tonight to take in the matchup of two highprofile NFL prospects.

“That’s cool,” Davis said. “I won’t dread it. But that’s not my main focus. I’m more worried about my brother watching. He’s going to critique my game.”

In Selvie’s other two career games against the Knights, former left tackle Pedro Sosa handled him with ease. The technically sound Sosa limited Selvie in his freshman and sophomore years to a total of seven tackles and nothing else when he had a total of 136 tackles, 46.5 for loss

and 20 sacks against the rest of the nation.

“I definitely heard about him all the time in high school,” said true freshman Tom Savage, who makes his first appearance against Selvie tonight. “I just can’t wait. It’s unique and it’s going to be fun and that’s what we signed up to do — play football against the top talent in the country.”

Junior defensive end Alex Silvestro, who made his first career appearance two seasons ago against South Florida, said Selvie is the kind of defensive end that makes him stop and ‘say wow.’

“He gets out there when he goes and he’s a good, fast speed rusher and he gets of f the edge,” he said. “The biggest thing I’ve noticed with him is that he just knows when it’s a pass down and goes.

“I remember one play last year and it wasn’t even a pass play, it was a run play, and the way he just spilled a block, and at the same time a guy was cutting him, and he just curved around and still made the play. That was probably the best play I’ve ever seen him make.”

With the fans’, reporters’, coaches’ and scouts’ eyes glued to the men locking horns on the left side tonight, however, another crucial trench fight on the right side may go unnoticed.

Jason Paul-Pierre, a junior transfer and 5-star recruit from Rivals.com, brings athleticism to the right end position that could give RU senior right tackle Kevin Haslam fits.

“They’re both good players.

They’re both really athletic and fast so it should be a good time,” Haslam said. “It’s just good competition really. You go out there, hope for a good competitor to go against and that’s what we have coming up this Thursday. I’m looking forward to it. “

G4

G AMEDAY

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

T HE DAILY TARGUM’S

OUT

of

BOUNDS WITH

T IM B ROWN

Targum’s Sports Editor Matthew Stein chats with the senior wide receiver about Showtime, saving lives in a superhero outfit, love scenes with Gabrielle Union and holding up crystal ...

Matthew Stein: How many tattoos do you have?

Tim Brown: I have six. The one on the inside of my arm, Showtime — when I got this I thought of me being Showtime. It gets me going out playing like its showtime every game.

MS: What about the grillz, where did those come from?

TB: It’s a Miami, down south thing. That’s all that’s about. I was 17 when I got them. The ladies love it, it’s a cool look.

ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Defensive end George Johnson, left, returns an interception from last season’s 49-16 win over the Bulls. The Rutgers football team forced six total turnovers in the win.

Underestimated Knights won’t lose

I

gave Rutgers no shot at beating Connecticut nearly two weeks ago. With 34 seconds left, Tom Savage and Tim Brown told me to eat it.

It was not the first — and will not be the only — time I underestimated this team. As do many observers, I find flaws in the play calling, personnel choices and general performance of a team that certainly has the talent level to compete with the big boys in the Big East.

But no team is perfect.

The Scarlet Knights have replaced eight players that went to the NFL this season, including six on active rosters, with remarkable fluidity.

Joke about their soft out-of-conference schedule if you wish, but the only two teams RU lost to this season are a combined 17-1, undefeated in the Big East and ranked in the top-10 in the country.

The problem is that in losing to their two toughest foes to open conference play, the Knights are already mathematically eliminated from the Big East chase.

“You never want to start out 02 in the Big East,” said junior defensive end Alex Silvestro. “If you get two losses in the Big East you most likely aren’t going to win it, so we were a little bummed out, a little disappointed about it, but we know we still have to finish strong and come out and play every game.”

Mind of Stein MATTHEW STEIN RU has been navigating an uphill climb ever since losing to Pittsburgh just over one month ago on the same turf they will tr y to redeem themselves on tonight, under the lights against South Florida.

The Big East title was a long shot from the moment the Knights headed into the tunnel after losing to Cincinnati, and the odds were miniscule after falling to Pittsburgh.

But RU has shown unbelievable resilience, and the gamewinning drive — if you can call it a drive — against Connecticut was among the single greatest moments in head coach Greg Schiano’s tenure on the Banks.

“The way we approach things here, I don’t think they give it a lot of thought,” Schiano said of looking to the postseason.

“Everything is so much on the one game, the one opponent, the one-game season. These kids put in so much effort and time in to that one week.”

If keeping his players’ heads up as the season progresses

with the title out of reach was a challenge, Schiano can take solace in what is next on the slate.

One victory from qualifying for a postseason berth for the fifth season in a row, everything is in place for another classic Thursday night showdown.

Ever y remaining game is huge for RU and South Florida as they jockey for postseason position and rankings within the Big East conference.

It’s that Thursday night magic all over again.

Momentum is on the Knights’ side after a bye week and a stunning last-minute victory the week prior.

There will be a home crowd for the first time since Pittsburgh — and a clear weather report, so fans might show up this time.

And Erin Andrews will be on the sidelines.

“It’s a game,” Brown said. “It’s one more Big East game that we have to go out there and play hard and play as a team and play Rutgers football. It’s going to be a fun night.

“Nationwide, ever ybody is going to be watching, everyone wants to see what Rutgers football is all about.”

Time for another bold prediction: There is no way RU is losing to South Florida tonight.

— Matthew Stein accepts comments and criticism at steinma@eden.rutgers.edu

DANIELS WREAKS HAVOC AS KNIGHTS FALL IN OVERTIME The Rutgers defense simply could not contain South Florida’s B.J. Daniels in this week’s NCAA Football 2010 simulation as the freshman quarterback put the Bulls on his back in a 31-25 overtime win.

Daniels ran for three touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime after a missed field goal by kicker San San Te, and he threw for another, totaling 242 combined passing and rushing yards.

The Scarlet Knights never led in the game but got strong performances from receivers Tim Brown and Mohamed Sanu. Brown caught a 33-yard touchdown pass and finished with six

catches for 122 yards. Sanu hauled in a two-yard score and had nine catches for 83 yards.

Quarterback Tom Savage completed 22-of43 passes for 266 yards, but threw two picks.

Tailback Joe Martinek was the only player to receive more than 10 rushing attempts, and he finished with 13 total touches for 52 yards.

Safety Joe Lefeged led RU with nine tackles and an interception and defensive end George Johnson recorded two sacks.

The Daily Targum’s weekly simulation is 7-1 on the season.

— Staff Report

MS: How did the nickname “Duce” come about?

TB: I’ve been number two since I was six years old. All my family members call me Duce, so I ran away with it.

Everywhere I go, everybody calls me Duce. I like it, I’ve always been number two and I want to keep it.

MS: What do you drive?

TB: I’m not driving, just using my feet. I don’t have a car yet; I’ll wait for the car.

MS: OK so hypothetically, you’re rolling down College Ave. in a nice car, windows down, music blaring.

What’s blasting out to the people that you want everybody to hear?

TB: I’ll have Lil’ Wayne, pumping the No Ceilings album. Wasted.

MS: Now I heard from a couple of people that you freestyle.

TB: Nah man, that’s not me. I don’t freestyle. I can talk a lot, I can spit game.

MS: What would “Tim Brown: The Movie” be about?

TB: Me being a hero. Me saving somebody’s life, one of those Superman, Batman, Incredible Hulk-type movies.

That’s just me; I want to be a hero. I can be Batman, I can be Superman. When I grow up, I’m going to try and get in one of those movies.

MS: Who plays you then?

TB: Oh, I’m a Denzel type of guy. Nice cool walk, swag.

That’s me.

MS: So what actress would you have a love scene with?

TB: Gabrielle Union. Yeah? Yeah.

MS: What’s your least favorite place to play on the road?

TB: I have to give it to Army man, those guys up there, wearing all black, it’s dark, you really can’t see a lot, it’s always raining and cold.

MS: Think back over your whole career — high school, college, Pop Warner. What’s the one play that stands out in your mind?

TB: In high school, coming out of halftime we were down against a big, highly thought of team. I take a kickoff return back at Pro Player Stadium and dove in the end zone, I heard the crowd booing. With me diving in the end zone, they kept replaying it on the jumbo screen. That was the most exciting day of my life, coming out to do that and win the game for my team.

MS: Does last week’s play rank up there?

TB: Oh yeah, that’s in my top five. But I did that a couple of times in high school so I wasn’t really amazed by that.

I’m used to doing those type of things when the opportunity comes. It was a great catch and a great finish. That’s how I used to do it all the time.

MS: You’ve talked about this a lot over your career, but say Rutgers was to win a National Championship. What’s the first thing you do when the final whistle blows?

TB: Cry. All the hard work we put in. … You see that confetti coming down but tears are going to come out of my eyes first before I go get the crystal.

G AMEDAY

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

G5

GRID PICKS

T HIS W EEK ’S FOOTBALL A CTION

TA R GUM S P O R TS S TA FF No. 23 South Florida at RUTGERS No. 25 Stanford at No. 11 USC No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 Ohio State No. 16 Utah at No. 4 Texas Christian Delaware at Navy No. 23 South Florida at RUTGERS No. 25 Stanford at No. 11 USC No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 Ohio State No. 16 Utah at No. 4 Texas Christian Delaware at Navy

RUTGERS

RUTGERS

USC

Stanford

Ohio State MATTHEW STEIN SPORTS EDITOR OVERALL: 11-9

SAM HELLMAN FOOTBALL BEAT WRITER OVERALL: 17-3

TCU

TCU

Delaware

Navy

RUTGERS

South Florida

USC Ohio State STEVEN MILLER CORRESPONDENT OVERALL: 11-9

Ohio State

TCU Delaware

USC Ohio State TCU

KYLE FRANKO ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR OVERALL: 10-10

Delaware

WR S U S P O R TS S TA FF No. 23 South Florida at RUTGERS No. 25 Stanford at No. 11 USC No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 Ohio State No. 16 Utah at No. 4 Texas Christian Delaware at Navy No. 23 South Florida at RUTGERS No. 25 Stanford at No. 11 USC No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 Ohio State No. 16 Utah at No. 4 Texas Christian Delaware at Navy

RUTGERS USC Ohio State DANNY BRESTLAUER GENERAL MANAGER OVERALL: 12-8

USC Ohio State

TCU

TCU

Navy

Navy

South Florida USC Ohio State ARMANDO MARTINEZ WRSU PERSONALITY OVERALL: 14-6

RUTGERS

ADAM HELFGOTT SPORTS DIRECTOR OVERALL: 12-8

RUTGERS USC Ohio State

TCU

TCU

Navy

Navy

JEFF TILLERY PROGRAM DIRECTOR OVERALL: 12-8

Spying Daniels key to containing speed F

the young, rookie mistakes rather rom the spread to the than having Grothe as the senior triple option to the prowith more experience,” junior style set, the Rutgers footdefensive end Alex Silvestro said. ball team has faced every possi“But this kid is also a little bit ble type of offense this season. faster than Grothe. It’s a little bit None carry such a quarterdifferent, but they pretty much back threat as South Florida’s still run the same offense.”

B.J. Daniels.

The spy itself has one job: watch In this week’s edition of Dane the quarterback with as Truxell’s Football 101, much intensity as Big The Daily Targum Dane stares down his breaks down the purpose plate of mozzarella sticks of the quarterback spy before housing them. and just how big of a role Typically shadowing it will play against Daniels Daniels from a middle and this USF offense. zone, whomever the The Scarlet Knights Knights may employ as struggled greatly in the the spy is the primary past against such versaJOE LEFEGED player responsible for tile quarterbacks. West Virginia’s Pat White and JUNIOR SAFETY staying with Daniels as he moves about the Jarrett Brown each backfield and into the open field. torched the Knights and Navy’s For a quarterback that Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada suraccounts for 71 percent of South prised RU in the Midshipmen’s Florida’s total yardage in Big win last season.

East games and personally ran 62 Junior safety Joe Lefeged played percent of the plays over that in the box a lot last year against exspan, the RU spy has one tall task USF quarterback Matt Grothe, but ahead of him. his replacement is far more elusive.

“The main difference is the — Staff Report kid is younger, so he can make

G6

GAM

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

NCAA PRI

RUTGERS STADIUM THURSDAY

Louisville, 2008

ACTIVE PLAYERS PASSING: A. DEPAOLA 1 game played, 15 yards, TD pass to Kevin Brock on fake field goal vs. USF in ’07

RUSHING: J. BROOKS 2 games played, 18 carries, 166 yards, 1 touchdown, 9.22 yards per carry

ANDREW DEPAOLA

RECEIVING: TIM BROWN 4 games played, 7 catches, 205 yards, 2 touchdowns, 25.3 yards per reception

DEFENSE: TIM BROWN

Ryan D’Imperio: 23 tackles David Rowe: 1 sack Z. Kitchen, B. Bing: 1 INT

THURSDAY N Rutgers toppled No. 3 Louisville, No. 2 Sout

BY STEVEN WILLIAMSON SENIOR WRITER

JOHN PENA/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

No. 2 South Florida, 2007

DAN BRACAGLIA/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Andrew DePaola knows it. Alex Silvestro feels it, too.

The two have been at Rutgers long enough to understand that tonight’s game against South Florida is exciting for more than just the implications of the game itself.

The game against the Bulls marks Thursday night football at RU, something the Scarlet Knights live for.

“I love playing on Thursday nights.

You get most of the students and it’s usually packed,” said Silvestro, a junior defensive end. “Ever y other night game I remember, the people in the crowd are a little more excited, a little more fired up. It’s exciting to play under the lights.”

For DePaola, having an energized crowd rallying behind RU and an extra buzz in the air makes the games unlike any other.

“There’s something special about them, especially here. Our crowd makes it magic and it’s electrifying,” DePaola said. “I think there’s something really special about Thursday night games and they make it a point to make them special here.”

Whatever the reason, the Knights seem to shine when the spotlight is on them, knocking off two top-five opponents on Thursday nights in the past three seasons.

“The thing that we like about the Thursday night games is that you are the only game out there. That is good because your program gets exposure,” said head coach Greg Schiano.

“Thursday night football, in the college sense, has become what Monday Night Football was when I was a kid growing up in the pro sense. That is good.”

The last time South Florida came to RU in 2007, the then-unranked Scarlet Knights pulled out all the stops to tr y and upend the No. 2 Bulls.

Behind a 181-yard day from Ray Rice on the ground, RU held off the surging

Bulls for a 3027 victor y, making USF the highest ranked opponent ever beaten by the Knights.

But the big highlights of the evening came on two game-changing trick plays.

Former kicker Jeremy Ito connected with receiver James Townsend for 36 yards on a fake punt, keeping RU’s drive alive to eventually kick a field goal.

The Bulls weren’t the only defense surprised by the trickery.

“I remember that game so much.

They were the No. 2 team in the nation and we went out there and it was a really good game,” said senior defensive end George Johnson. “We didn’t expect some of the things to happen, like the fake punt. I didn’t expect that in 100 years — I thought we were going to punt it.”

E DAY

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

IME TIME

AY NIGHT LEADERS SINCE 2006

G7

No. 3 Louisville, 2006

PAST STANDOUTS PASSING: MIKE TEEL 4 games played, 1,058 yards, 11 touchdowns, 4 INTs, 56% completion percentage

RUSHING: RAY RICE 2 games played, 61 carries, 312 yards, 2 touchdowns, 5.11 yards per carry

MIKE TEEL

RECEIVING: T. UNDERWOOD 4 games played, 16 catches, 272 yards, 5 touchdowns, 17 yards per reception

DEFENSE: TIQUAN UNDERWOOD

Kevin Malast: 28 total tackles Jamaal Westerman: 2 sacks Devraun Thompson: 32-yard INT

NIGHT MAGIC

h Florida at home under national spotlight

T h e marquee gimmick of the evening came in the third quar ter, when placeholder and backup quar terback DePaola connected with tight end Kevin Brock in the end zone on a fake field goal. The pass marked DePaola’s only career throw for a touchdown.

While it may have been a highlight of his past, the senior is now only focused on the Knights’ task against the Bulls tonight.

“That play was two years ago and it helped us get a win against them then.

It was a great memor y, but [all] it is right now is a memor y,” DePaola said. “I have a dif ferent role as a snapper, so I just have to wor r y about that.”

USF is not the only team to fall to RU on a Thursday night.

The 15th ranked Scarlet Knights upset the then-No.3 Louisville Cardinals in 2006, becoming one of the most famous days in University histor y.

When the Cardinals returned to Piscataway for the first time last season since the 2006 upset, they barely got off the bus before RU ripped their defense to shreds. The Knights scored 49 points in the first half alone, en route to a 63-14 massacre that saw quar terback Mike Teel throw for an astonishing 447 yards and seven touchdowns while wideout Tim Brown hauled in two scores and 173 yards.

It would seem that when the lights shine on Thursday nights, Schiano’s team is ready to play.

Most of the time, anyway.

With positive memories of recent Thursday victories, last season’s debacle against North Carolina easily falls through the cracks.

The Tar Heels rolled into Piscataway Sept. 11, 2008 and proceeded to make RU look unprepared.

Nor th Carolina dropped 44 points on the Scarlet Knights behind the receiving tandem of Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate, who combined for 201 yards and three touchdowns.

The Scarlet Knights could not muster any offense, scoring 12 points on four field goals. UNC picked off Teel three times, with backup Jabu Lovelace adding an interception of his own.

But tonight, RU has only USF on its minds as it tries and dispatch the No. 23 Bulls for the fourth straight year.

“Just going out there and playing them on national TV, we know they’re going to come in here and say, ‘OK, we haven’t beaten them in a long time, so we really have something to prove,’” Johnson said. “We just feel like we have to go out there and play.”

— Sam Hellman, Steven Miller and Matthew Stein contributed to this story

THE DAILY TARGUM

North Carolina, 2008

JOHN PENA/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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G A M E DAY

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Sophomore tailback Joe Martinek ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns against South Florida last season, but has yet to experience success this year against the Big East.

R UN

GAME STALLS IN

BY STEVEN MILLER CORRESPONDENT

The trend is cause for concern, but the history is reason for hope.

Eight games into the Rutgers football team’s season, there are times when the rushing attack looks dominant, breaking for 100 yards in the final quarter alone.

But against Big East opponents, the run game is as effective as the New BrunsQuick Shuttle — neither really goes anywhere.

The Scarlet Knights have yet to break the century mark as a team in conference play.

Tonight’s matchup with No. 23 South Florida presents an opportunity to change that.

In the past three victories over the Bulls, the Knights averaged 186.3 rushing yards per game.

Last season’s clash was the breakout performance for sophomore Joe Martinek, who rushed for 98 yards and two scores.

“It was just Joe being Joe — there was no magic,” said head coach Greg Schiano. “We got up big and were able to turn them into

a one-dimensional team and turn us into a team that could run it. If you run it over and over and over again you start to tire them out.”

In games where RU successfully ran the ball — games against opponents that combine for a 13-31 record — it was the same story.

The Knights pounded the ball until they broke out late and put games away. In the five non-conference games, RU has run for 1,086 yards, but 472 of them came in the final quarter — good for 43 percent of the rushing output.

“It’s ver y important,” said senior center Ryan Blaszczyk.

“We pride ourselves on running the ball and working hard all game, and then in the fourth quarter being able to really pound the ball because we’re a well-conditioned team.”

In losses to No. 5 Cincinnati and No. 8 Pittsburgh, unsuccessful run games were not alarming.

The Knights trailed Cincinnati virtually the entire game, and the plan for Pitt was to attack through the air.

But a futile rushing effort against Connecticut nearly cost RU the game.

Ahead by 14 points entering the final quarter, the Knights ran the ball six times for 21 yards, going three-and-out all but once until the game-winning play.

“I wouldn’t consider him a big threat, but we have to tackle.”

KION WILSON USF Linebacker

It was not abandoned and it was not planned. It was simply ineffective.

“When you play good teams, some things go certain ways,” said senior right tackle Kevin Haslam. “We’re playing at a high level of football, so it’s good teams we’re going against. I don’t see us as a bad running team, I just see us as a team that needs to execute better. Just like we’ve been say-

ing, it’s the little things that are getting us.”

For Schiano, the term for those little things is “one block away.”

The Knights are just one block away from breaking big runs, he said, but they consistently miss those blocks against the tougher opponents.

So South Florida presents a barometer for the RU ground game.

The Bulls, who average 130.6 yards per game against the run, experience mixed results defending the rush attack.

Last week, they held the conference’s second best rusher, West Virginia tailback Noel Devine, to 42 yards. The week before, they allowed the Pitt duo of Dion Lewis and Ray Graham to go for 199 yards on 5.85 yards per carry.

But Martinek can draw on last year’s success.

“Getting a majority of the reps and gaining yards on every play but not losing any was a huge step,” Martinek said of the Knights’ 49-16 win. “It’s a new

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year with different players, but there are certain things you can watch from the film from last year. I just remember they were a hard-hitting, physical team.”

While USF is as inconsistent at defending the run as RU is at running it, they are steady against the pass. The Bulls rank first in the conference in pass defense.

Lost in the bulletin board material provided by USF linebacker Kion Wilson about the RU offensive line is what the senior said about Martinek.

“I wouldn’t consider him a big threat, but we have to tackle,” Wilson said to local reporters earlier in the week.

Given RU’s ground numbers against the Big East, there is no reason to think Wilson is wrong.

It is the history that gives hope.

“Joe had success against them last year as a [redshirt] freshman and this year he’s only stronger, faster and has another year in the system,” Young said. “He’s had some success early in the season and if he comes out and performs his best we’ll be fine.”

G AMEDAY

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

SAM HELLMAN’S

NATIONAL S POTLIGHT KEY GAMES 1. No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 Ohio State — As boring and irrelevant as the Big 10 has become with the downfall of Michigan and the inability to establish dominance even within its own borders, this game shapes up to be one of the best of the year.

Though Iowa is without quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who went down in the team’s first loss of the season to Northwestern last week, the Hawkeyes have key wins over Penn State and Michigan State that make them all but a lock for the Big 10 title if they win.

Ohio State has only an embarrassing loss to Purdue on its conscience.

The bottom line is the winner of this game wins the Big 10 and gets an automatic BCS bid.

2. No. 25 Stanford at No. 11 USC — Isn’t it crazy when No. 11 in the country is having a down year?

The Trojans, with true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, who toes the line between acceptable and unacceptable play for a USC quar terback, have two losses on the year — Washington and Oregon.

Stanford beat both teams significantly the following week.

A win for the Cardinal boosts it over the Trojans into sole possession of third place in the Pac 10 behind Oregon and Arizona.

3. No. 16 Utah at No. 4 TCU — The bottom line is that the winner of this game becomes an instant favorite as a BCS buster and winner of the Mountain West Conference.

STOCK RISING 1. Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson — The mastermind of the triple option brought the Yellow Jackets from wishing that Calvin Johnson had 43 more years of eligibility to ACC powerhouse in just two years.

2. Zach Collaros — The Cincinnati backup quarterback totaled 480 yards last week and earned the start this week over Tony Pike — the guy that torched Rutgers in week one and was a dark horse for the Heisman Trophy before his injury.

3. Navy — The Scarlet Knights picked a good year to not have the Midshipmen on their schedule. Navy, despite an embarrassing loss to Temple, has two other losses on the year and both, Ohio State and Pittsburgh, come in the form of top-15 teams.

The Middies just officially put Charlie Weis on the hot seat at Notre Dame.

STOCK FALLING 1. Rich Rodriguez — Bill Stewar t isn’t much better.

Maybe the Mountaineers will take you back.

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

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NATIONAL POWER POLL Football

2. Charlie Weis — Jimmy Clausen is too good of a quarterback to not win with. If Weis doesn’t get things going quickly, he’s done.

3. Iowa — As entertaining as the Hawkeyes are this season — mercifully beating an undefeated Penn State team that thought it was a juggernaut — the loss of Ricky Stanzi at quarterback all but dooms Iowa.

STORYLINE CENTRAL 1. New heavyweight champion — It seems like the ACC, Big 10 and Pac 10 will all see a new champion emerge this season.

Though Ohio State still has a great shot if it beats Iowa in the Big 10, gone are the days of USC rolling through the Pac 10 or Maryland, Miami and Virginia Tech taking care of business in the ACC. 2. Devil with a blue dress — With a team usually only deserving of the Toilet Bowl in Flushing, N.Y., the Duke Blue Devils have somehow returned to football relevancy.

The Dukies are one win away from bowl eligibility behind quarterback Thaddeus Lewis and won three consecutive conference games for the first time this decade.

3. Blount returns — After a cheap-shot punch at Boise State in week one, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount returns to the sidelines this week after the Ducks reinstated the troubled tailback.

TEAM RECORD BCS RANK POINTS 1. Florida 9-0 1 123 2. Alabama 9-0 2 121 3. Texas 9-0 3 117 4. Cincinnati 9-0 5 110 5. TCU 9-0 4 105 6. Boise State 9-0 6 97 7. Georgia Tech 9-1 7 94 8. Pittsburgh 8-1 12 88 9. LSU 7-2 8 87 10. USC 7-2 9 81 11. Ohio State 8-2 11 67 12. Miami 7-2 14 66 13. Oregon 7-2 13 63 14. Houston 8-1 15 61 15. Iowa 9-1 10 60 16. Utah 8-1 16 56 17. Arizona 6-2 17 41 18. Oklahoma State 7-2 19 40 T-18. Penn State 8-2 18 40 20. Stanford 6-3 NR 20 T-20. Virginia Tech 6-3 21 20 22. South Florida 6-2 24 17 23. Wisconsin 7-2 20 16 24. Clemson 6-3 NR 9 25. BYU 7-2 22 7 * Others receiving votes: Oregon State (6), West Virginia (3), Navy (2), Duke (1), Rutgers (1), Temple (1) * 25 points awarded for first place, 24 for second place, etc. * Five members of the Targum sports desk submitted ballots

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G AMEDAY

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

BIGEAST GAME OF THE WEEK AT

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

NOTRE DAME at No. 8 PITTSBURGH

If you thought Navy’s running game got the better of the Fighting Irish, just wait to see what Dion Lewis and Ray Graham have in store for Charlie Weis as Pitt sticks in the top-10 for another week.

PREDICTION: NO. 8 Pittsburgh, 42-27 SYRACUSE at LOUISVILLE

WEST VIRGINIA No. 5 CINCINNATI

All eyes are on Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros after head coach Brian Kelly opted for the scrambling threat over a nearly-healthy Tony Pike.

A win for Cincinnati all but guarantees an undefeated Big East faceoff against Pittsburgh to close the season while West Virginia fights to keep with the two in the conference title race.

In a contest of pure ineptitude, Will Stein leads the Cardinals past the Syracuse defense with just minutes to go for the winning field goal, erasing memories of his Dan Orlovsky-style safety.

PREDICTION: Louisville, 3-2

BIG EAST POWER POLL Football

DAN BRACAGLIA/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Cincinnati wideout Mardy Gilyard leads the Big East with 65 catches this season for 908 yards and eight touchdowns.

Key Matchup

PREDICTION

WVU’s Bill Stewart vs. Cincinnati’s Bob Diaco

No. 5 CINCINNATI, 37-17

In Jarrett Brown and Noel Devine, head coach Bill Stewart has the offensive personnel to do damage, but can he call the right plays to put Bearcats defensive coordinator Bob Diaco in checkmate?

WVUs meltdown begins as Cincy keeps cruising to the title game.

TEAM RECORD BIG EAST POINTS 1. No. 5 Cincinnati 9-0 5-0 48 2. No. 8 Pittsburgh 8-1 5-0 42 3. South Florida 6-2 2-2 34 4. RUTGERS 6-2 1-2 31 5. West Virginia 7-2 3-1 26 6. Connecticut 4-5 1-4 18 7. Louisville 3-6 0-4 12 8. Syracuse 3-6 0-4 6 * Eight points awarded for first place, seven for second place, etc. * Six members of the Targum sports desk submitted ballots

RU’s best good enough to run Bulls out of town Scarlet Pulse ADAM HELFGOTT

H

ead coach Greg Schiano has used the line before. He used it before Fresno State last season and used it before Cincinnati this season, and he used it again before tonight’s game against South Florida.

“I don’t know if our best is good enough,” he said.

The Rutgers faithful should not want to hear “our best just wasn’t good enough.” Fans want to have confidence in their team, and more importantly in their coach.

But using this phrase allows Schiano to say things like “we’re still a work in progress” after every tough loss. The work in progress excuse was used this year after the opening day debacle against the Bearcats and after wins over mediocre teams in which the Scarlet Knights looked less than stellar.

It’s a phrase that masks the doubts of the head football coach. It allows him a scapegoat if this program loses key games.

In the beginning of his tenure the work in progress line was true, but not anymore.

Is RU’s best good enough to beat the Bulls? Yes. The Knights have not lost a game to South Florida since 2005, and they shouldn’t start tonight.

The Knights need to go into their home finale against West Virginia 9-2, no excuses. But RU needed to win its opener against

DAN BRACAGLIA/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, above, has outdueled Jim Leavitt in his last three tries, including a 30-27 win over No. 2 USF two years ago at Rutgers Stadium.

Cincinnati, and it didn’t. And it needed to win against Pitt, but it didn’t. It’s before those key games we heard “if our best” and then after we heard “work in progress.”

No more coach speak; no more phrases that make fans question if this program is ready for the next step. The program has been ready since 2007, but ever y time the team faltered there was an excuse.

I’m not undermining Schiano.

I am simply disappointed that the

coach who was so young and so enthusiastic to talk about championships has turned into this stern guy who seems all about business these days. It’s all about saying the right things and not getting too excited. But sometimes the coach needs to speak up and inject some life into the fanbase.

When Schiano came to Piscataway, fans got excited because of his vision. But that image of a young and eager coach is slowly dying year after

year when this school doesn’t win a conference title. This year again there will be no crown to wear. But the pain of that reality can easily be shoved to the side starting tonight with a win over USF. If the Knights can win tonight, the reality is coming back home 9-2 against the Mountaineers will create a game day atmosphere to remember.

RU fans tend to accept mediocrity, and for a while it appeared Greg Schiano would

not let that happen. He talked about constantly improving and making the way up to the top.

But ever since 2006, the Knights have been mediocre — there’s no denying that. With the team’s struggles it seems Schiano has talked less about championships and more about slowly improving.

Once again there is talent in place. There was talent in 2007 and 2008, and there is talent once again this year. There may not be as much as in years past, but there is enough to beat the Bulls tonight and undoubtedly enough to beat Syracuse and Louisville coming up.

Mike Teel never had a four th quar ter comeback; Tom Savage already has one in his freshman season. Savage’s game-winning touchdown pass two Saturday’s ago at UConn could define this 2009 season.

It showed what’s to come in the future but also what can happen before the season is finished.

The talent is there, and Schiano better start believing his team’s best is good enough to beat the best. If he does believe his team can be the best, then say it. His team was the best in 2006 against No. 3 Louisville on a Thursday night and again in 2007 against No. 2 South Florida.

No more mulligans, no more free passes.

It’s another Thursday night primetime opportunity, which this program thrives on. Its best has to be good enough tonight.

— Adam Helfgott hosts the Scarlet Pulse on WRSU-FM and works for Rutgers Athletics as a student broadcaster on KnightVision

T H E D A I LY TA R G U M

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

GAMEDAY

PA G E G 1 2

Round 2

The last time South Florida visited Piscataway in 2007, Rutgers upset the second-ranked Bulls behind 181 yards from Ray Rice. USF returns tonight as the No. 23 ranked team in the country.

BEAST WARS Rutgers left tackle Anthony Davis faces off against USF right end George Selvie in a matchup of potential first round NFL draft picks. pg. G3

RUN-DOWN Joe Martinek and the Rutgers rushing attack have yet to get things going against a Big East opponent. pg. G8

DAN BRACAGLIA/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR